The Worst Halloween Costumes of 2013 [PHOTOS + VIDEO]

Halloween is an exciting time of the year. Everyone is encouraged to dress up and become someone or something he or she is not. While Halloween is an excuse to be something different than normal, it's not an excuse to be offensive and insensitive as these cringe-worthy costume creators discovered.

Boston Bombing Victim

via Twitter

While Alicia Ann Lynch claimed she didn't mean for her costume to offend, she and her parents have received numerous death threats over her unsympathetic Boston Marathon victim costume.

Sticking with national news references, the above duo (William Filene and Greg Cimeno) went as Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. It was the woman in the photo, however, who has taken the most heat for the photo which she shared on Facebook. Caitlin Cimeno shared the photo with the caption, “Happy Halloween from Zimmerman & trayvon :)” The internet reacted with a vengeance and was able to get Caitlin fired.

7-Year-Old KKK

A 7-year-old in Craigsville, VirginiaI went trick or treating as a member of the Ku Klux Klan. The mother of the boy encouraged the decision and her other son had done the same in years past. While most onlookers would see the boy and think of his costume as a terrible symbol of discrimination and bigotry, the boy said he thought it was "cool."